This invention relates generally to an improvement in the art of culinary mixes containing dried desugared egg white. In another respect it relates to an improved process for the preparation of cakes of the foam batter type, particularly angel food cakes.
In one respect, the substance with which this invention is concerned is albumen, the material which is present in greater quantity than either the yolk or shell of the avian egg. As used herein, "albumen" refers to what is popularly known as the "egg white", and is distinguished from the "albumin", which is used to refer to a broader class of proteinaceous materials. Egg white is comprised chiefly or protein substances, and the substances generally said to be present are ovalbumin, constituting about 75% of the total solids in the albumen, ovomucoid, ovomucin, ovoconalbumin, and ovoglobulin. The functional characteristics of egg white are determined to a very great extent by the proteinaceous materials in the egg white, and especially by the ovalbumen present. Much of this functionality of egg white albumen is lost in the processing thereof, particularly in drying processes.
In many instances, it is desirable to separate the white of the egg from the yolk so that advantage may be taken of the peculiar properties of each of these two constituents. An example of the use of egg white in culinary mixes is in the preparation of angel food cake. In the preparation of angel food cake, the egg white from a large number of eggs is vigorously beaten in the absence of lipid substances to obtain a stable foam, and then the other ingredients are added. Egg white is also very important in the preparation of the so-called white cake.
Some angel cake mixes comprise at least two packages, one of which, hereinafter called the A-packet, contains a whippable material such as egg white, sugar and additives such as cream of tartar and sodium hexametaphosphate. A second package, hereinafter, called the B-packet, may contain flour and/or starch, additional sugar, a vegetable oil hardstock, and additives such as cream of tartar and flavoring. To prepare a cake from such a mix, water is added to the ingredients of the first package containing the whippable material, said material is whipped to a stable foam and the ingredients of the B-packet are gently folded into the foam. The batter so prepared is then ready for baking. Examples of angel cake formulations are set out in U.S. Pat. No. 3,078,168, Bedenk, Feb. 19, 1963.
Cake mixes of the foam batter type comprising an intimate mixture of all the ingredients contained in one package and requiring only the addition of water, whipping and baking to prepare a cake have been developed.
The principal problem in using dried egg white in the culinary arts is in obtaining from the dried egg white the performance of an equivalent amount of fresh eggs. The eggs, whether whole egg or egg white, are frequently denatured in the course of drying. Further damage can occur on storage and handling. Moreover, dried eggs are less effective than fresh eggs when used in combination with certain kinds of flour. For example, they may provide a good foam but when flour is added and the batter baked, a loss in egg-white functionality is observed.
It has been a common experience to find that unaged cake mixes provide extremely good quality, large volume cakes but are far less successful when aged for several months. The tolerance to recipe variation of the known mixes of the foam batter type which contain prior art dried egg white tends to be quite limited.
Another important problem in angel food cakes is cupping (surface depressions) on the inverted side of baked angel food cakes. Thus, the underside of a cake removed from an angel food tin or pan may be observed to have a series of cup-like depressions over a portion of the surface of the cake. Reduced functionality of the egg white appears to adversely affect the surface of the cakes. It also affects color, texture and flavor.
An object of this invention is to enhance the functionality of dried desugared egg white in culinary mixes.
Another object of this invention includes the provision of a composition of matter for use in preparing angel food-type cakes of reduced cupping, whiter color, increased volume, excellent texture, and increased recipe tolerance, particularly when dried eggs are employed in a dry cake mix.
A further object of this invention is to prepare a batter containing bisulfite and egg white in a functionally less impaired form.
Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the discussion hereinafter.